Captiv8

New Blog Page

2009-12-29T12:33:00.001Z

I am now using the following site as my blog, so no further updates will appear on this page, although this page will remain here with the 3 years of archives.
NEW BLOG HERE http://johnbaikiephotography.com/

Wick v Brechin

2009-11-29T00:24:00.009Z

Massive game in Wick today with Academy meeting SFL side Brechin City. A superb display of passing football almost saw a giant killing act by the Highland League side, who led 4-2 late in the game before being pegged back in the latter stages. A great atmosphere in the ground from the huge support certainly helped the home side, who showed a huge commitment and effort throughout the game. Jim Duffy's side will be very relieved that they are still in the cup after being outplayed by the Wick side. I was covering the game for a few papers today, so being on crutches it was tricky to get everything they all needed. Thanks to my apprentice for the day Ally, for his help!

Lynne and Graeme, Thurso wedding

2009-11-20T12:03:00.003Z

Another local wedding this time. Graeme Gunn and Lynne MacPherson, of Thurso, were married at the Weigh Inn Hotel, on another very nice October afternoon. We had a great time, and the morning was very relaxed, even including a bride and bridesamid playing Twister! We went to Thurso Castle for the photographs after the ceremony, which was good. I used to do loads there but not so much recently.

Tulloch Castle wedding

2009-11-20T11:43:00.003Z

Okay, so this was the shortest notice wedding I have ever done. I got an emergency call from Margaret the evening before this one, asking if I could step in to cover a wedding she was scheduled for. It was weird turning up at the venue, Tulloch Castle, Dingwall having had no contact with the couple, but it actually meant there was less pressure, as the expectations were different, as they didn't know me either and were just grateful that I could cover it. It was a stunning day, with sunshine (I don't mind sunshine in October), and we had a great time. I think Donna and Angus had a good time as well, and we had a load of fun.
I had Angus Mackay helping out for the day, so thanks to him yet again.

Jennifer and Graeme, Brora.

2009-11-20T11:27:00.005Z

I've fallen well behind with the blog in recent weeks since injuring myself, so time for catch up.

A very cold, wet and windy day in Brora for today's wedding. Jennifer Clyne and Graeme Bremner were married at the Royal Marine Hotel in Brora. I was excited about shooting with their car, a Lotus Exige, but sadly the bad weather meant we only got 5 minutes with it in a sheltered are at the back of the hotel. It was a very nice service, with a wee bit of humour thrown in (long story), and I really enjoyed the day.

Make Up Artist for wedding or fashion photography

2009-11-04T23:03:00.004Z

Looking for a great make up artist for your wedding? Kirsty Miller from Highlight MakeUp in Arbroath is a freelance makeup artist trained in London and can do an amazing job for you. She's also available for makeovers and fashion photo shoots amongst other things. She is highly recommended by me if you're getting married either in the Aberdeen area or Nationally within Scotland
Check out her website and contact her to find out more information.
http://www.highlightmakeup.co.uk/

Another Trash The Dress shoot!

2009-11-03T15:56:00.003Z

A week ago I tore my achilles tendon playing football, so I'm all plastered up and hobbling about on crutches. I'm using my unexpected free time to catch up with a lot of things in the office. Finally got round to sorting out this shoot also from Portmahomack, with Donna Mackay. Donna married Craig back in August 2008 - DONNA & CRAIG and we had a great shoot this summer around the village and surrounding area. Donna was fantastic as I'd expect and we got a great set of images - some of which can be seen in this slideshow.
Trash The Dress / Post Wedding Shoots are proving very popular. I started these over 5 years ago and absolutely love the freedom you have with them.

Trash The Dress Shoot in Portmahomack

2009-11-03T10:24:00.004Z

Recently I did a Trash The Dress shoot down In Portmahomack, with Andrea Gordon. Andrea was married 3 years ago but decided she wanted to get some cool images done around the farm. It was a very cold and windy day which made it tricky, but the farm buildings were great - my kinda thing! We went to the rocks and up to the lighthouse but it was just too cold and windy up there. Thanks to Andrea for being a great sport and so easy to photograph. I've made a lot of the images into a YouTube slideshow so have a look and let me know what you think!

The last two brides who have done Trash The Dress / Post Wedding Shoots with me have been girls who hadn't been photographed by me on their day. This is always an option for brides, particularly those who maybe were on a tight budget at the time, or maybe couldn't get me booked on the day, or even some who weren't aware of me at the time but want some amazing images now! Trash The Dress is a term I use carefully, as it is never trashed (unless someone wanted it to be), and it's more a case of being able to take a few more chances with getting wet or dirty which you wouldn't risk on the actual day. The worst a dress gets is muddy or wet, which doesn't do any harm to it at all. The advantage of the TTD/PWS is that there are no time constraints either, so you can go to locations you may not have been able to on the day - and can spend more time at it. It's also a huge amount of fun as I'm sure anyone who's done this with me will testify. So if you're thinking about having a shoot - drop me an email and let's talk about it!

Kim and Colin, Thurso West Church

2009-10-26T19:32:00.003Z

Thurso West Church for this one, a rare local wedding. Another day of heavy rain spoiled the plans to shoot at Thurso Castle although we did get a few minutes on the driveway. The bad weather restricted us to pictures in the church, which was a shame. The reception was at the Weigh Inn, Thurso.

St Machars Cathedral Wedding

2009-10-26T19:15:00.005Z

Lynette Ironside and Ryan Fraser of Lossiemouth, were married at St Machars Cathedral, Aberdeen, with the receptioon held at the Marcliffe Hotel. The Friday on the way down most of the Moray area was flooded so it was a bit of a trek to get to Aberdeen, but I got there in one piece! Saturday was another very wet day, and another day where the prayers worked and the sun came out at the right time! We even managed 5 minutes on the beach.

29th August Achnagairn House Wedding

2009-10-26T18:29:00.006Z

Catching up on a wee backlog on the blog again! 2 months to be exact!
So Achnagairn was the chosen venue of Linda Barr and Ian Slater from Motherwell. They chose a humanist ceremony, which was very moving as well as very funny! The day threatened to be an indoor affair, as the rain was coming down and it was very dark overhead. However we were very lucky as it cleared up and allowed us to get outside in some sunshine for the photography.
Another great day at one of my favourite venues!

Christmas Portrait Shoots from Captiv8 Photography!

2009-10-12T15:51:00.004+01:00

Once again it's time to start thinking about Christmas presents, and what could be better than a professional studio or location portrait shoot. Grandparents love a framed print of the children, or a beautiful canvas wrap, ready to hang on the wall. We have a whole range of great products for this year! How about booking a portrait session and surprise your partner on Christmas day with a stunning piece of art, or even an album or coffee table book from your shoot. These can be done in studio, in your own home, or on location somewhere special to you. Don't have children? How about a special pet? We do some amazing animal portraits which can make a great addition to your home.

With prices starting at an amazing £25 for a session, this is great value for money. Email us for more details and to book your session!

Looking for a creative person to join me

2009-10-06T22:19:00.004+01:00

I'm currently looking for someone to come onboard on a casual basis, helping out with various things, including graphic design work. Ideally it would suit someone with a creative flair, who has experience in Photoshop or similar software. It would only initially be a few hours per week, but could lead to other things. For more information email me at john@captiv8.uk.com

Another Tale of Woe from a couple who chose the wrong photographer

2009-10-05T21:03:00.001+01:00

This story from the Daily Mail - my personal feelings on this are that the couple booked on price and not quality. They get £1500 compensation, but they can't get the day back. It's so important to choose carefully with something as important as your wedding photography. You only get one chance to capture these emotions and special moments, so you need an experienced and qualified photographer and not just someone with a cheap pricetag. You need to see samples of complete weddings and really get a feel for the standard of photographer you are booking. Price is important as everyone has a budget, but the standard of work is more important.
Daily Mail Story

New music on my website!

2009-09-24T18:14:00.002+01:00

I have a new song on my website thanks to the amazing Stefanie K, called 'Sweet Love'. Stefanie who created the other popular and beautiful track 'Take What You Want' on my site, has sent me this one, which I think will be even more popular. Check it out and post some comments to let us know what you think!
www.captiv8.uk.com

Aileen & Albert, Orkney Islands Wedding

2009-09-22T20:04:00.007+01:00

The last leg of an incredible 8 day adventure which had 5 weddings and much travelling. Weddings in Wick, Inverness, Cyprus, Inverness again and Orkney in 8 days. I love Orkney and really wish I did more work over there - need to look into that. It's such a beautiful place and the people are awesome!
So I headed over this morning on the Pentalina ferry from Gills Bay, my first time on the new boat at Gills. It was a good sailing and a much improved boat from the last one. Anyway, the couple getting married were Aileen Strutt and Albert Bruce, from Harray, and Aileen was getting ready at her parents house in Kirkwall. The wedding was at the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral in the town, which is a superb wedding venue. The bridal party and immediate family went out to Earls Palace at Birsay for the photography session, which was a load of fun! The reception was back at Harray Hall, where I joined the party for dinner, speeches (very entertaining), and the dance.

I had arranged to stay over in Kirkwall on the Saturday night, and photograph the post wedding party at Aileen and Albert's house on Sunday, so since I was there we decided to do the quickest-after-the wedding Post Wedding Shoot ever in the morning!

We headed out with plans to shoot at the more famous Ring of Brodgar, but I spotted the Stenness Stones on our way across and decided they were ideal, and less busy with tourists. It wasn't the best day, very windy and had been raining, but it was MY kind of day :) Gloomy skies, and loads of mood. I was delighted with what we got in a short time, and then we headed back for barbecue and party at their home. Late afternoon I headed off to the ferry after a great weekend, but absolutely knackered!

Annabel and Mike, Inverness Wedding

2009-09-22T19:38:00.004+01:00

After arriving back from Cyprus on Thursday night, I had the wedding of Annabel Sall and Mike Bain, who are from Aberdeen, well Mike is actually originally from Thurso but lives in Aberdeen now. I did a pre wedding shoot with the couple and Annabel's lovely horse, Reggie, a couple of weeks previously, and was really looking forward to this one as these were two new venues for me. The ceremony was in Inverness Cathedral, which I'd never been in before, with the reception at the fantastic Aldourie Castle - the first wedding held at this venue. The day began with preparation shots at the castle before we drove into the city to the cathedral. When we came out it was pouring rain which was a bit disappointing, but it was just a bit showery, with nice sunny spells in between. It meant just having to grap opportunities to go outside whenever they arose, which is never ideal but it worked out great. We even managed to get a quick 5 minute shoot in an old burial ground on the castle estate between courses at dinner! The whole day was fantastic, with a great atmosphere, which was capped off with an amazing finale, where Mike surprised Annabel at the first dance, as a take That tribute band suddenly appeared on stage singing 'Greatest Day'. It was a great and fitting end to a lovely day. Thanks guys, for being such great sports!

Caroline & Richard Wedding Photography in Cyprus!

2009-09-22T19:16:00.005+01:00

I was lucky enough to be flown out to Cyprus to shoot the wedding of Inverness couple Caroline Gannon and Richard Davidson. I was in Paphos in April shooting and it was hot but this was a whole new version of the word hot! I was only over for a couple of days so didn't get much time to enjoy the island this time, and spent most of my only day off on various buses travelling around Coral Bay and Paphos due to some dodgy information dished out at my hotel about where to go to meet Richard and Caroline, but we eventually managed to meet up and visit the venues. They were staying at the Aquamare Hotel and Spa in Paphos, and that's where the day started, with the getting ready pictures. We then had a 30 minute taxi ride (which I slept for 27 minutes of) up to the wedding venue - the magnificent Coral Beach Hotel & Resort up at Coral Bay. They got married at the hotels own Ampitheatre, which was lovely but had no shade so boy was it warm! It was a small family wedding, and I really enjoyed it, and had some great laughs with everyone and some great memories. At sunset we went down to the rocks and jetty below the hotel for some pictures before eventually heading back to Paphos. I had to fly back the next day for my next wedding so it really was a quick visit, but once again I really loved Paphos and will return soon again!

The couple had their reception back home in Inverness a week later in the Lochardil Hotel and I was back there for the fun!

Thanks to Caroline and Richard for taking me out there and letting me be part of it, and thanks to all the rest of the family for being so much fun.

Highland Wedding Workshop

2009-09-11T19:40:00.002+01:00

I'm looking at running a 3 day workshop towards end of October - beginning of November, up here in the North Highlands. It will be a mainly practical workshop with plenty opportunity to get some shooting done. The reason for doing this course up here is so that you can see how I work, and experience shooting the couple in some of the best scenery and locations around. We will visit several stunning locations, including castles, standing stones and beautiful rugged scenery. I'm working on the schedule and costings as we speak, but in the meantime if you are interested in coming up here for a few days of relaxed tuition and practice, drop me an email to register your interest. john@captiv8.uk.com

I plan to put on a few more workshops around the country, but this is a chance to see the beauty and remoteness of this part of the world, and see what makes me tick.

Wedding Fayre - Drumossie Hotel 13th September

2009-09-10T20:12:00.003+01:00

Drumossie Hotel Wedding Show
13th September 11am-4pm
I'll be exhibiting at the wedding show at the Drumossie hotel this Sunday, where you can come along and meet me, and have a look at the albums and products now on offer. Wedding fayres are a great chance to get to meet many different types of wedding suppliers from photographers to wedding dresses, from cakes to stationery. everything is covered If you live in the Inverness area it's worth popping in to see what is available in the Highlands. From a photography point of view - wedding fayres allow you the chance to actually see the products and quality and originality of your photographers, and make a judgement based on this, rather than prices. It's often a very social event and I often see former brides who have popped in with their friends, or recently married brides wanting to get a look at the latest albums before finalising their choices.
I hope to see a lot of couples on Sunday and look forward to discussing your weddings!!

Lucy and Moe

2009-09-09T18:29:00.005+01:00

Lucy Meadows and Moe Bitar chose the fantastic Urquhart Castle for their wedding on 15th August. The couple live in Dubai, and had flown into Scotland to Lucy's mum's home earlier in the week. They left from the Clansman Hotel which was to be the reception venue as well.

It was a miserable day with wind and rain showers. I think we were quite lucky though as it dried up in time for the ceremony, and stayed dry long enough for us to get some photographs done around the castle. After the photographs we set of on a Jacobite Cruise across the loch and back to the hotel for the reception.

Jodie & Andrew

2009-09-08T09:14:00.003+01:00

I was lucky enough to photograph the wedding of Jodie Munro and Andrew Henderson, both from Wick. The couple got married at Mackays Hotel, and boy did it rain today! We had planned to head out to Old Wick Castle, but it looked like that was going to be impossible as the rain was pouring down. Jodie got ready at home before heading across the town to Mackays for the ceremony. After that was over, it was still wet but the rain had eased off, and I take my hat off to Jodie for agreeing to brave the conditions to go out and have a go at getting at least a few images from the Castle! Thanks to David More for his help getting them there, and keeping us ALL dry with a big brolly! We got a few images at the castle then a few at Ackergill harbour before heading back to the hotel remarkably dry AND clean! Great effort!

Thanks both for being such great sports on the day!

Sir Chris Hoy

2009-09-07T22:04:00.003+01:00

It's not every day you get the chance to meet and photograph one of your heroes but on Thursday I had that opportunity. Sir Chris Hoy was up in Caithness joining Asda chief executive Andy Bond on the final leg of his Lands End to John O Groats cycle in aid of charity Pedal Power

As a keen but non competitive cyclist and massive cycling fan, I was very excited about meeting Sir Chris, after his amazing achievements at last years Olympics and hoped to get some great images for my collection. Sadly - the Caithness weather spoiled it totally, and it absolutely p**sed down all afternoon. Meaning very few photo opportunities and the guys just needed to get indoors and changed into dry clothes. Well done to Andy and his team for a fantastic effort and a massive sum raised so far. Thanks to Chris Hoy for coming up to do his bit as well, and please come back again so I can take some decent pictures!

This is the coverage I did for the Daily Record.

Photo Pro Feature

2009-09-07T21:50:00.007+01:00

I stopped off in Inverness for a coffee on my way back from a wedding in Aberdeen yesterday and picked up the new issue of Photo Pro magazine which had my feature about the Indian wedding in Glasgow in June. Delighted to find I had the cover for the wedding supplement and no less than 6 pages in the magazine. I've done a few pieces for this magazine lately and have a few others lined up. I enjoy writing articles on photography, it's a nice change from the usual things I do. It's always good to see your work in print as well.

http://www.captiv8.uk.com/

Suzy and Alan - Aberdeen wedding

2009-09-03T21:45:00.006+01:00

Another trip to Aberdeen, this time for the wedding of Suzanne Hall and Alan Ruff, from Peterculter. They were married on a lovely day (that means too sunny) at Maryculter Church, with their reception taking place at Ardoe House. Suzy got ready at Ardoe and arrived at church in a magnificent horse drawn carriage, and they returned to Ardoe in it. We had great fun shooting in the grounds of Ardoe, and we were joined by Alan's other love at one stage (his motorbike).

I had a great time - especially when we managed to sneak off for an extra shoot after dinner, when we were lucky enough to have a lovely golden sunset AND a rainbow. Suzy and Alan were probably a bit worried about how excited I got at that point, but I do like my work :)

I had an interesting weekend staying at a real life Fawlty Towers which really brightened up my stay - more on that to follow!

Dunrobin Castle - Lisa & Andrew

2009-08-30T20:10:00.005+01:00

One of my favourite venues in the Highlands for todays wedding - the beautiful Dunrobin Castle in Golspie. Lisa Sutherland and Andrew Cowie live in Broxburn, West Lothian, but are both originally from up here. The weather looked a bit dodgy for a while but it turned out to be just perfect, sunshine but heavy clouds as well. The bride got ready at her parents house in Wick before heading to the Castle. The reception was held at the Portland Arms in Lybster.

Susan and Scott - Castle of Mey

2009-08-30T19:57:00.004+01:00

31st July saw me shooting an historic occasion, as the Castle of Mey held it's first wedding since 1904. Susan Brass and Scott McColl were married in the Castle's visitor centre before having their photography around the castle grounds and inside the main entrance. The Castle are now offering weddings as part of their service, and I imagine it may be a popular venue, as it is very picturesque and has the added bonus of a royal connection. The reception was at Thurso's Park Hotel. Again - too sunny!! Bit of a theme lately :)

Amanda & Angus

2009-08-30T19:42:00.005+01:00

25th July, was the wedding of Amanda Marshall and Angus Sutherland, from Helmsdale. Their wedding was held at the Weigh Inn Hotel in Thurso on a glorious day (far too sunny for my taste!). It was one of those days where there was not a cloud in the sky so squinty eyes all round. We started at Amandas parents home in Helmsdale before heading North. After the ceremony we went down to the shore at Thurso East at the back of Thurso Castle and shot some cool images there. It was nice having a local wedding with very little travelling for a change.

New website

2009-08-16T12:37:00.001+01:00

I've just uploaded my new website at www.captiv8.uk.com, it's not finished but it's getting close. I'd appreciate any feedback on it!

Abigail & Alan, Glenelg

2009-08-12T14:06:00.005+01:00

What a location for this wedding on Tuesday 21st July. Glenelg, up near Kyle of Lochalsh on the West Coast. Abigail Poole & Alan Hughes, who are from County Wexford in Ireland, had gone to great trouble to choose the perfect venue for their very intimate wedding service, and boy did they get it right! The weather was a gamble I guess, but it worked out and when I arrived in the morning and walked out the back where the ceremony would be I was well impressed. I had a really great day, amongst friends, having met a few of them already, including Steph and Brian who's wedding I shot in Cyprus back in April. Now people know I can be quite emotional at weddings but this may have been the worst yet haha. It was a very moving ceremony, and I had to hide behind my camera as a few tears were shed, and it was so bad that when I edited the pictures last night I was off again! Anyway, the weather was great, the sunshine was a worry but the clouds came on time and saved the day!! There was a cool falconry display on the shore before dinner, which had to be cut short as the rain started but everyone enjoyed that. After dinner we sneaked off for another photo session as the light was amazing. Thanks to everyone for a great day - every one of them were so friendly and welcoming, and I really had a great time!

Elizabeth and Andy - Cawdor

2009-08-10T23:17:00.004+01:00

Elizabeth Mackenzie and Andy Kerr, were married at Cawdor Church on Sunday 19th July. It was a great day - not too sunny for once :) and a lovely wedding to be part of.

Elizabeth got ready at her parents house, which was just beside the church, and this allowed them to walk to the ceremony (despite a lovely Rolls Royce waiting outside!). Elizabeth and Andy then went to nearby Cawdor Castle for their pictures, which was awesome. Nice dark clouds in the sky and a lovely location, and I was getting very excited about the whole thing! We then headed back to the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness for the reception. Some great speeches - particularly Elizabeth's dad who gave the funniest father of the bride speech I've heard in ages :)

Mairi & Scott, Urquhart Castle 18th July

2009-08-10T14:15:00.002+01:00

Mairi Imlach and Scott Thomson, who live in Aviemore, chose one of my favourite Castles for their wedding - Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. It was a miserable sort of day, with loads of drizzle and it looked a bit ominous for a while, and the service ended up being moved indoors. However the rain eased and was stopped when the ceremony ended so we managed to get out to play! It's a great place to shoot at, once you get the hang of avoiding tourists in the background. It was a great shoot, and then we headed back to the Spa Pavilion in Strathpeffer for the remainder of the shots.

11th July - Peebles

2009-07-30T20:03:00.005+01:00

I stayed down in Edinburgh after the Dalhousie wedding, to shoot another one at Peebles. This was the wedding of Lucie Goodman and Chris Goater, who now live in Amsterdam. What an awesome day I had! Although....it was way too sunny :)

Lucie got ready at her mums house in Peebles, along with her very entertaining, if slightly mad bridesmaids. The wedding was at St Peters Church in Peebles, and it was a great service, involving a full choir, which made the whole church vibrate during the hymns. Awesome feeling, and I may have had a tear in my eye...maybe.... :)

After church we did some group pictures down on Tweed Green, before heading up to the fantastic Neidpath Castle for the reception and photography session. What a venue! It's not a ruin, but it's not exactly lived in either - so it has a fantastic run down kind of look to it, with so many great spots to photograph. I checked it out the day before and was very excited about this one! I wasn't disappointed (despite the sunshine threatening to ruin a good day), and we got some amazing images outside and inside. The evening finished off with the best first dance I have ever photographed. Well done both!! And thank you!

Blue Steel anybody......

9th July Dalhousie Castle

2009-07-29T12:27:00.004+01:00

I travelled down to Edinburgh for the wedding of Lori Grant and Colin Mackenzie, who are from Falkirk. They chose the fantastic Dalhousie Castle as their venue, and it was a stunning choice! Guess what...? It was too sunny! If I hear one more person tell me it's been a crap summer..... :)

Anyway - Lori got ready at the castle, with her crazy bridesmaids, and we got some fun shots as they got ready. The ring bearer was an owl, which was pretty cool! We did some cool shots around the castle, including one slightly mad shot with the couples car, which isn't ready for public viewing yet :)

Julie & George 4th July

2009-07-29T12:20:00.005+01:00

Julie Baker and George (Tam) Dunnett, were married at Ormlie Lodge, Thurso on 4th July. My first local wedding in about 9 months, so it was great not having to travel any distance! Started off at Julie's parents on Millbank Road for some getting ready shots, before heading up to Ormlie.

It was a lovely day...but guess what? Too sunny! Some lovely features around Ormlie Lodge for photography, and we did manage to find some shade so it worked out well. The reception was at the Weigh Inn Hotel.

Client Login Link

2009-07-23T23:08:00.001+01:00

Due to a small technical hitch, the client login button has disappeared from my website. In the meantime use this link ---> CLIENT LOGIN

New site up and running soon!

Website back up and running!

2009-07-20T13:32:00.002+01:00

Apologies for the website being down over the weekend, it's back up and running again. The new one will be launched soon!

It's been a hectic week or two, so apologies for the lack of updates, many weddings to come soon!!

Saturday I was at Urquhart Castle and Sunday I was at Cawdor, and only got home late last night. I've another wedding up at Glenelg near Kyle of Lochalsh tomorrow, so I'm away again this evenin. I seem to be living out of a suitcase these last 2 months, but it's been fantastic, I've met some amazing people and shot some great weddings at lovely venues. I'll post some new images later this week as I get caught up with things, but here's one of my faves from yesterday of the stunning bride Elizabeth! - taken at Cawdor Castle. Just a quick 2 minute edit to see how it looked.

Captiv8 Website

2009-07-17T20:54:00.001+01:00

The Captiv8 website is down at the moment as I am changing host and it should be back up and running early next week. In the meantime any enquiries to john@captiv8.uk.com or call 08000 699169 / 07789 557586
A new website is being created as well, which will be bigger and better than ever before, with a range of new amazing products and services.
Watch this space!

Isha & Hiten Day Four

2009-07-01T22:14:00.007+01:00

On to the wedding itself today, and what a day. I started at 7am and eventually finished shooting dancing pictures close to 12.30am on Sunday! Very exhausting day but much fun. Lots of great colour and spectacle around. We started with getting ready shots at One Devonshire Gardens, a beautiful hotel in the West End, before heading into the city centre for some shots (and a parking ticket grrrr) before heading to the wedding venue - the amazing Oran Mor.

These are just a snippet of the many images taken on the day.

Getting ready.....

Ceremony....

Playtime!......

First Dance....

Isha & Hiten Day Three

2009-07-01T15:01:00.007+01:00

Friday's events were at the lovely One Up venue in Royal Exchange Square. It began with the Grah Shanti ceremony.

Then in the evening it was time for the Sangeet party. Much music and dancing. Man did this group know how to celebrate. The place was bouncing all night! Awesome atmosphere!

Oh and 5D mk2 was unbelievable for these low light shots!

Isha & Hiten Day Two

2009-07-01T13:37:00.008+01:00

Day two was about various religious ceremonies at Hiten's home.They started out with the Ganesh Ceremony, which if my internet research has worked, is about celebrating a beginning. Ganesh is a Hindu god with a man's body and the head of an elephant.

There were other ceremonies going on around the house as well, which I tried to capture.

This was followed by the the Pithi ceremony. This is a cleansing ceremony, where a paste is wiped on the bride and groom's skin. This is supposed to be good for the skin, and some folk had more fun than others when it came to getting it on Hiten and Isha's faces!

The rest of the day/evening was a Mehndi party, where all the ladies had turns at having theirs done. No idea how the artist managed to make such a great job on so many folk, as I would never have patience to sit there for so long :)

Isha & Hiten Gandhi Day One

2009-07-01T13:08:00.005+01:00

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to shoot my first ever Indian wedding, which was a real experience. I found it all very interesting and colourful, although at many times I had no idea what was going on - I need to consult with Google now to figure out about all the ceremonial bits and pieces and what they signify. I never worked so hard in my life, and I am dreading the editing part as there are almost 5000 images to sort through!. My average wedding is between 600 and 800 images so this was intense. It was over 4 different days and there was so much going on I just shot everything. Some of the ceremonies were great to photograph with so much colour and energy. I've just selected a few random images from each part of the 4 days, just to give a taste of what was going on, so this is day one. Apologies in advance for any errors with spelling or whatever as I am new to this :)

Isha's Mehndi or Henna night.

This was great to watch actually, a very talented artist indeed, and I couldn't believe how quickly and accurately she applied the henna. It must have been so tricky for Isha as she couldn't use her hands at all, so well done Karen for feeding her and dealing with itchy noses etc ;)

Finlay Harris

2009-06-30T16:42:00.006+01:00

Today I shot some headshots and promo pics for actor Finlay Harris who is staying in the area just now. It was fun doing something a bit different especially after a gruelling schedule last week in Glasgow - more blogging to come on that once I get caught up- and I really enjoyed doing these.

County Sevens

2009-06-21T18:12:00.006+01:00

Spent today with Ally and his under 9 team at the Caithness BFA county sevens in Thurso. They did really well, with 4 wins and a draw in their group, and only lost out on a place in the final after a sudden death play-off. A few of him in action - unfortunately he has inherited my height gene :)

Need to work on the goal celebrations.........

Highland Amateur Cup

2009-06-21T17:49:00.004+01:00

Enjoying a quiet weekend off for a change, so was shooting at the Highland Cup game between Castletown and Golspie Stafford. The home side won 1-0, probably slightly against the run of play, but it was a great game, packed with incident and controversy, with a few strange decisions from the man in the middle. Well done to Castletown who progress to the quarter finals. It was a good day for Caithness with 3 teams through to the last 8 ( Castletown, John O Groats and Wick Groats) and one (Halkirk) in a replay next weekend.

Cheryl & Andy 13th June

2009-06-17T23:48:00.010+01:00

Okay, I'm going back a day now to Saturday. I was very pleased to be photographing the wedding of Cheryl Swanson and Andy Dowie at Blair Castle in Perthshire. Cheryl is from Inverness although they've moved away since we first met. Andy is a footballer with Dunfermline Athletic (and used to be with Rangers, so he was in my good books right away haha). It was a fantastic day. The weather was pretty good all day, although there was heavy rain and thunderstorms later on - after we'd finished shooting I'm glad to say!

I had a great time. It was a really nice wedding, and everyone was in great form. I must admit I was totally exhausted after it though!

The first two were in the Dunkeld Hilton Hotel - about half an hour after I was planning on leaving for the castle...and I'm so glad I waited and turned the room upside down :)

The guys looking cool beforehand....

This lot were trouble......... :-)

Thanks to Cheryl, Andy, and their families for letting me be part of such a great day.

Isha & Hiten pre wedding shoot in Glasgow

2009-06-16T14:26:00.004+01:00

I'm doing these in the wrong order as I needed to edit these first so starting with Sunday, and Saturday will follow!

I spent a few hours on Sunday with Isha and Hiten, who get married on 27th June. We did a pre wedding shoot in a few locations in Glasgow, and went through all the plans for the wedding. It's going to be so cool. I'm shooting 3 days of events and can't wait! We bumped into Boyzone at one stage and I am very proud to say...I never recognised them :)

In the meantime, a few from Sunday's shoot....

Away again..

2009-06-12T13:10:00.002+01:00

Getting ready for travels again - away to Perth tonight, Cheryl & Andy's wedding at Blair Castle tomorrow, then through to Glasgow on Sunday for Isha and Hiten's pre wedding shoot. Should be an awesome weekend!!

6th June Kim & Russell

2009-06-12T12:38:00.004+01:00

After flying into Edinburgh on Friday afternoon exhausted after Spain, I then drove up to Aberdeen, as I had a wedding at Drumtochty Castle on Saturday. Kim Nicholl and Russell Gallagher had their wedding there. It's a fantastic location, and was my first time there.

They had a humanist ceremony and it was a fantastic emotional occasion, and yes, I did cry again! We had some great fun shooting around the castle and at the church nearby. Thanks both for a lovely day.

Wedding Workout in Spain

2009-06-12T12:18:00.003+01:00

31st May saw me fly out to Malaga in Spain, and then head up into the mountains at Tolox to help teach on the Wedding Workout 2009 course. The course is run by Martin Grahame Dunn, and saw delegates arrive from the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Australia (I think I covered everyone there!). As well as Martin, there were 3 other trainers. Juli Cialone from New York, Michael Gron from Denmark, and myself from little Caithness in the North of Scotland :)

It was a very intense week, with loads of training being covered from pre wedding bridal boudoir, right through to trash the dress. The delegates were an inspiration to me. I was amazed at the slideshow they produced at the end of the Thursday night. They learnt so much in a short time, that I went away totally inspired by them.

The course was held at the beautiful Cerro De Hijar Hotel. It was so hot up there! I went out running and cycled down the mountain into the village and back up one day, and it nearly killed me!

There will be loads of pictures to follow from this adventure but in the meantime - just a bit of fun on the last day. When I get bored I am a bit of a worry :) - spotted a shovel and got Andrew Gransden to shoot this image - thanks Andrew!

I'd like to thank Martin for allowing me the opportunity to help teach on this course and to all the delegates, trainers and models for an awesome but exhausting week!

23rd May Kim & Euan

2009-06-12T11:51:00.003+01:00

Today I was lucky enough to be part of Kim and Euan's wedding at Dunain Park Hotel, Inverness. It was a bit overcast but we were very lucky that the rain stayed off until after photography was finished and everyone was in the marquee! It was torrential at that stage! It was a lovely location for the wedding, great spots indoors and outdoors for photography. I had a great day and thanks to both for a great time.

Office Move

2009-06-12T11:47:00.002+01:00

Finally getting settled into my new office. I left the last one at Naver with plans to work from home, but quickly realised that there wasn't going to be enough space! So a quick turnaround and now I'm out at T3UK at janetstown in an office there. It's taking shape now and I feel the change has been good and has me more enthusiastic again. A change is as good as a rest and all that...

Trash The Dress Shoot, Portmahomack

2009-05-22T18:13:00.003+01:00

Today after an early start and visit to the gym, I went down to Portmahomack for a long awaited post wedding shoot with Donna Mackay. We've been trying to arrange this for ages, since she got married back in August. Well finally we managed to do it, and it was a load of fun. We went to a few different spots to shoot and ended up with Donna in what looked like very cold sea!

Thanks to Donna for a great shoot!! I'm just back so I've only done a quick edit on a few of them for now. Enjoy :)

Facebook Fan Page

2009-05-20T16:13:00.003+01:00

I'm just putting together a fan page on Facebook. I plan to post regular updates on there of what I'm doing and will be putting pictures on from all weddings and events I cover. If you want to become a fan and get updates, and see your wedding pictures on there go here and become a fan!!

Office Move

2009-05-19T09:17:00.001+01:00

Apologies for any inconvenience over the last few weeks as I have been moving offices and things have been rather chaotic. I'm almost there, and by the weekend things should be reasonably settled again. More info soon!

Stephanie & Brian, Paphos, Cyprus

2009-05-15T15:39:00.007+01:00

Well what a great trip away to escape the Scottish weather. It was a great week in Cyprus, lovely weather lovely people and a fantastic wedding. Stephanie Walsh and Bryan Wickham from Ireland were married at Zucchini, Peyia near Paphos. What a stunning location with views for many miles around. It was a hot day, but luckily there was a bit of a haze and a breeze to prevent my Scottish white/pale blue skin getting burnt :)
It was a superb wedding, and I really enjoyed my day. The Irish folk were, as ever, fantastic fun and I felt more like a guest than a photographer. Thanks folks!! I lasted until midnight but was unable to join in the partying in the Irish bar after that as I was exhausted.
I'm trying something a bit different this time, with a wee movie slideshow of some images from the day, just as a trial really. Would appreciate some feedback!

Angela & Chris

2009-05-15T15:32:00.004+01:00

Bit behind the times, but first wedding of 2009 was at Bunchrew House, near Inverness. It was the wedding of Angela Jones and Chris Spence from North Kessock. It was a beautiful sunny day, maybe too sunny, but with a deceptively cold breeze in the shade! A great day to kickstart this years weddings :)

Castle of Mey 10k Race

2009-05-12T17:01:00.006+01:00

Sunday saw a wonderful turn out for the first ever Castle of Mey 10k run in Caithness. I have to admit I really wished I was taking part as the atmosphere was amazing at it, and the beautiful weather helped!! Next year!

Prints are available to buy from the race by going here---> 10k PICS

A few images from the day. Well done to everyone who took part!

Updates

2009-05-12T16:56:00.002+01:00

Had my butt kicked for never updating this, so going to make an effort to bring it up to date and use it more often from now on!!

Cyprus

2009-04-26T18:07:00.001+01:00

Just arrived in Cyprus! Stephanie & Brians wedding is tomorrow, so looking forward to it!

One Year Project - The Book

2009-04-20T16:59:00.003+01:00

After spending a year shooting Natalie for my project, we have now got the book available for sale. It has a huge range of images from the 12 months, along with information on camera and lighting equipment used on each shoot.
It can be ordered by telephone 08000 699169 or online through this link---BOOK

Big thanks to International Model Natalie for her help in producing this and hopefully everybody will enjoy it.
I'm about to start work on a new book, which will have a totally different theme. Watch this space!

NNCMC festival 09

2009-04-13T22:57:00.001+01:00

The Northern Nashville Country Music Club had their annual music festival in Halkirk, Caithness during Easter weekend. I was there Saturday and Sunday night covering it and here is a selection of images from it.

New albums on display on Sunday!

2009-03-06T13:31:00.002Z

I've just finished assembing the last of my new range of wedding albums and will have them on display at the Portland Arms Hotel, Lybster, Caithness on Sunday at their wedding fayre. As our customers know, we use albums sourced from some of the best suppliers around and are world class products. These new ones are all the way from Australia and really are as good as I have seen anywhere. You need to see these to appreciate the quality, so come along on Sunday or call me to arrange a private meeting anywhere in the country. Check out the albums section on my website www.captiv8.uk.com to get a preview of them.

Professional Photographer magazine

2009-03-06T13:16:00.003Z

I was recently delighted to discover that I had not one, but two images shortlisted for the final of the magazines Professional Photographer of the Year 2008 awards. I had entered many months ago, but had forgotten about it until I got the email through. I have a finalist in the wedding section, and portrait section for a fashion image. I think the final judging has taken place and I've heard nothing so I guess I never won the big prize, but I'm still well pleased with getting two images that far!

These are the two images:

Wedding - Tricia at Clyth Lighthouse, with a matching brolly I 'just happened to have in the car' ;-)

Portrait - Natalie at the old Janetstown school. Just a crazy image I had in my head which meant detroying a (very old and tattered) wedding dress.

Wedding Fayres

2009-02-26T10:30:00.002Z

3 Sundays in a row doing wedding fayre's at the moment. First one was last week in Inverness, with two to go.
22nd Feb Thistle Hotel Inverness
1st March Craigmonie Hotel, Inverness
8th March Portland Arms, Lybster

Come along and see the latest range of amazing albums I'm doing and there are some special offers on as well.

Dublin seminar 15th February

2009-02-26T10:07:00.002Z

Well, what a week that was! Totally and utterly exhausted after it. I was a bit nervous about the Dublin seminar as I'd never done a full day seminar before, but the week leading up to it was very stressful and threw my plans into turmoil. My granny passed away in the week leading up to it, and that knocked me for six. More about that later.

It was then a case of business taking a back seat for a few days, but by Thursday night I was absolutely mentally drained and couldn't see myself getting through the weekend. Then on Saturday I almost missed my flight, arriving at check-in at Prestwick airport with 2 minutes to spare. At that point I felt nothing else could go wrong and was an emotional mess, but then when I arrived at the hotel, it turned out they made a mistake with the booking the SWPP made and they put us in for 14-16th March instead of February! Although they were very apologetic, it was Valentine's night and they had no alternative rooms! I left Paul Taylor to deal with it and went away for a while!! We ended up being giving rooms at a different hotel, and an upgrade in the original hotel for the other 2 nights, but I so wanted to be at the seminar location that night to do some sort of preparation. By now I was so stressed I was a total wreck! Went off to bed feeling exhausted, slept for 2 hours then woke up to realise the battery had died on my mobile phone and I had no charger, and no other method of time-keeping! I had a total panic attack at this point and never slept the rest of the night. So Sunday morning Paul must have wondered what the hell I'd been doing since he last saw me!! I looked like s***!!

Anyway, despite being a nervous, emotional wreck, the seminar went really well. I couldn't have asked for a better crowd than I had under the circumstances, and special thanks to the Irish photographers for being so great. I thoroughly enjoyed being amongst them all and can't wait to go back over again! I ran through how I shoot a wedding from start to finish and did a post wedding shoot demonstartion around the hotel grounds, amongst other things, which I think went down well.

Special thanks to Paul Taylor of SWPP for being supportive throughout the week, and John Smails who drove me around and was a great host!

Photo Pro Magazine

2009-02-26T10:03:00.004Z

I was delighted to be interviewed recently for a wedding feature in Photo Pro magazine, and it is in this months issue. Delighted to see my much loved bride with spade image used across two pages as well. The feature was about best advice for people starting in wedding photography. I was asked to give out some words of advice, which you can read in the magazine.

20x16 competition, London

2009-02-10T15:31:00.002Z

Thought I'd post up the 3 merit prints I had at the 20x16 competition in London.

Portrait Contemporary

Wedding Traditional

Animals

SWPP Convention update.

2009-01-20T22:02:00.007Z

Well.....just home after a very successful and very tiring week in London. It was great fun and a great experience. I really enjoyed the print judging, my masterclass was packed out and it seemed to go really well, judging by the feedback I have had. The superclass was also great. I had a great bunch, including Eastenders actor Adam Woodyatt. I was very pleased that he came to see my class! We did a great FTF or Trash The Dress shoot around the hotel and that went very well. I'll post a few pictures on here soon.

I wrote down so many classes I wanted to go to, and the only two I actually managed to spend any real time at were mine, and they were on the list of ones I didn't want to go to :)
I made some great new friends - too many to mention. I was really pleased to see Martin Schembri again, as he was a great inspiration when I was starting out. I was also really chuffed to meet Sofie Louca, who I really admire. We've chatted by email before but never met. Too many others to mention really, but it was great fun anyway!

On to the awards - I won the Animal Photographer Of The Year award in the International Print Competition, for my image of the North Ronaldsay sheep. I was quite surprised by this one to be honest and got some stick about sheep all night!! I actually really like this image!! I spent more time on this image than any model or bride ever!! 5 minutes after the award, I was told next year if I put a dress on the sheep I could win wedding contemporary!! Thanks Polis!! Then Monday I had a phonecall......anonymously....asking if I was available to photograph "my sheep's wedding". Ha Ha. I will find out who it was.......

Apparently it was the biggest convention yet, with 12,000 folk through the doors!! Well done to the SWPP and Phil & Juliet in particular for continuing to make the Society a huge success. Thanks to One Vision Imaging for their continued support and sponsorship, as well as Spicer Hallfield who sponsored my classes. Also Triple Scoop Music who kindly provided music for my slideshows.

SWPP Convention 2009

2009-01-09T19:09:00.005Z

Well, it's almost here. The SWPP Convention is the biggest event of it's kind in Europe and attracts thousands of photographers from all over the world. I'm off on Tuesday for the full week. I'm looking forward to seeing a few great speakers if I can find time in my own schedule. I've definitely ticked off Jose Villa, Michael Ayres, David Simm, and Damien Lovegrove at the moment as well as Joe Photo for a full day seminar on Monday.

My schedule is hectic. I'm part of the panel of judges for the print competition so that writes off most of Wednesday and Thursday. I'm doing a Masterclass on Friday 12-2pm, which will cover my wedding photography, how I work, what I do, and what makes me different from the rest.
Sunday 9am-1pm I have a Superclass which will be on a similar line with more practical demos taking place and a live bridal fashion/trash the dress shoot. On Saturday I'm doing mentoring sessions as well, so it's a busy week, but very exciting.

I'll be posting all about it on here either during the week or when I get back!

Stefanie K

2009-01-05T18:54:00.002Z

I get so many requests for information on who sings the song currently on my website www.captiv8.uk.com and decided to find out a little more about the artist Stefanie K. She's a very talented singer songwriter from New York and has so much great music on her site www.telescopicmusic.com Go check her music out! She's had music used on several big TV shows in the states including American Idol. It was great to chat to Stefanie after using her song on my site for 2 years now and the feedback on the track has been amazing over that time! Now everyone can go and listen to her other music and hopefully get her more coverage!

Another Year Comes to an end!

2008-12-31T16:52:00.003Z

Well, that's it for another year. It's been a great year again, and I have so many great memories from it. I have been lucky to share in the most special day in the lives of so many people, and I think that is the best part of my job. Somebody recently said to me after a bridesmaid was wiping her eyes "Why do people cry at weddings?", to which I replied "I cry at half the weddings I attend and I don't even know the people.". It's a really great feeling to play a part in a special thing like a wedding and I feel very privileged to have felt these emotions with all my 'couples'.

I have met some pretty amazing people and made a load of new friends again over the last year and I hope this will continue into 2009. I have a few big events coming up in the year, starting with the SWPP Convention in London in 2 weeks time. This year I will be doing a two hour masterclass on wedding photography, which will go into all the details of how I work on a wedding, from brides home through to the reception. I'll then be doing a 4 hour superclass which will go deeper into how I work, and cover the different techniques I use to produce the images I do. I'll also be shooting a trash the dress session on this class. I'll also be on the judging panel, so a busy week!

After that I have a seminar in Dublin in February then I have been lucky enough to book a wedding in Cyprus which will be pretty amazing, and then have a training course over in Spain with my good friend Martin Grahame-Dunn and Juli Cialone, which I can't wait for! We are also doing some workshops in Canada in October which I am going to be part of, so all exciting stuff!

I hope to be able to announce a few small workshops of my own around Scotland in the coming months and I hope there will be lots of interest in that!

I'd like to thank EVERYONE who has helped me and supported me in 2008. Friends, family, colleagues, you know who you are! To all the many photographers worldwide who regularly contact me through emails and forums - your compliments and encouragement are one of my main sources of inspiration and I am very grateful for that.

I hope 2009 is a great year for everyone and hopefully despite the recession we will all continue to prosper!!

Happy New Year!!!

28th December Edinburgh

2008-12-31T16:27:00.005Z

Final wedding of 2008 and what a great way to finish a great year. The Hub on Edinburgh's Royal Mile was the venue for the marriage of Sarah Parr and Andrew Yates, who were up from Hucknall in Notinghamshire for the big day. What an amazing venue!! It's an old church which has been converted into a headquarters for the Edinburgh Festival. Once again I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to really spend in this place! (Jennifer who was coordinating the wedding may disagree!)

We went up to the Castle for a few pictures but were told it wasn't possible without permission to take pictures with the castle in the background. I think I'd guess that there were around 200 tourists around and I don't think any group didn't have a camera, and they were all taking the same view as me! Ridiculous policy!!! Bah humbug!

We also went to the Witchery, where Sarah and Andy were spending the wedding night. WOW!!!! What a place. I needed to spend an hour or two in there shooting but we only had ten minutes. It was amazing! I really enjoyed my day and want to thank Sarah and Andy for being so much fun and so easy going! Congratulations folks!!

Oban 20th December

2008-12-31T16:15:00.003Z

Travelled to Oban for the wedding of Paula Nicholson and Martin Yeoman. It was a bad journey down as the heavy rain had caused a lot of flooding in the area and the roads were very dangerous in bits. I was a bit worried about the weather for the following day as it was so dark and wet. On the day however it was beautiful AGAIN! Can't believe how lucky I have been this year with the weather. I've shot outdoors with every single couple!

The wedding today was at St John's Cathedral in Oban. I'd never been there before, but what a wonderful building! It was great. The minister (apologies as I cannot remember his name) was a lovely chap and exactly the right attitude. I've had a few run-ins with ministers over the year and it's a shame that one or two have such a power trip when it comes to the couples big day. Today's one was an absolute gentleman though and I want to thank him for being so accomodating. The couple went with me up to McCaigs Tower for a few pics just as it was getting dark, which was good fun. I just wished we had more time! The reception was at Argyllshire Gatherings and we went back there to finish off the family pictures and the other parts.

Melissa Stewart & Jamie Maclean

2008-12-31T15:51:00.005Z

Tulloch Castle is one of my favourite locations in the Highlands and I've not been there as often lately, so it was nice to get back for this one. Sad to find that Anne, who runs the place was leaving and this was my last wedding with her. She's been great to work with and I will really miss her from the place - and the Castle is going to miss her too as she was such a hard worker. Good luck to her in her new job though and I hope I'll bump into her soon!

On to the wedding - Melissa is from Dingwall, and Jamie from Muir of Ord. Melissa looked absolutely amazing (Jamie looked okay too I guess!) and I had a really fun day. Angus Mackay was assisting me at this one and I am sure he must have wondered if I was taking drugs as I was a bit hyper all day! It was just one of those days where everything was perfect and it all came together. ANOTHER beautiful day and even a small amount of snow still around so it was great! I have so many images from this wedding that I really love - as usual the best ones won't go on here though!

Loch Ness Lodge

2008-12-31T15:39:00.004Z

Last month I had my first ever visit to Loch Ness Lodge, which I must say is a stunning venue! Beautiful place with a lovely warm feel about it. Scenery around it is quite spectacular, so a great venue for a wedding! Lorna Bain and Grant Bateman, from Elgin chose this as the perfect place for them to tie the knot.

I have been so lucky this year with the Highland weather, and once again we were able to shoot outdoors and take advantage of the scenery and autumn colours.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T18:40:00.003Z

Merry Christmas to everybody from Captiv8 Photography!

SWPP competition update

2008-12-09T00:38:00.002Z

I've had 2 silvers from earlier this year upgraded to golds, both surprised me to be honest as I had much stronger ones in there. Well that's 25 for the year!

Children

Bridal Portrait

SWPP competition

2008-12-03T11:40:00.004Z

Well that's the last month of this years judging over and I managed another 3 golds - although my best images didn't get golds in my own eyes.

Golds for:

Wedding Contemporary

Children

Fashion

This One was my favourite of this month and it only got Silver in bridal portrait

Was really disappointed to get a bronze for this in wedding traditional.

And I really liked this in monochrome which only got bronze

Just goes to show how difficult and subjective it is judging such a huge array of images.

This year I've entered 9 months and managed 23 gold awards, so can't really complain.

Little People

2008-12-01T17:49:00.002Z

I had a late cancellation of a portrait session, and had a spare half hour to photograph my two youngest ones Cerys and Ally. It's crazy, but I don't have very many photographs of them, apart from random snaps, so it was nice to get a chance to shoot a few of each of them.

Ally was more concerned with when he was going to be on my website so here you go....

Coventry

2008-12-01T17:42:00.002Z

Just back after spending the last week in Coventry. I was spending some time with Martin Grahame-Dunn, who I am going to be assisting on some future courses. Martin is a very successful photographer and now runs a training academy. I met some great folk on the Associateship course, and hope to bump into them all again soon! They are a talented bunch and between them had some amazing work. I didn't get much time with the Licentiate folk but hopefully they had a good course as well.

We also went through some of my work, with a view to future work and qualifications and that was very good as well. I now have fresh inspiration and direction and can't wait to get started!

An oldie!

2008-11-22T21:58:00.002Z

I was searching through some images earlier this evening looking for some for a friends website and came across one from just over a year ago which I really liked! It was taken at Oran Mor in Glasgow and features the amazing Sou De Sade. I had forgotten just how many great images we created that day!
Here's one of many I loved!!

Newton Hotel, Nairn Sunday 23rd November

2008-11-20T14:38:00.003Z

I will be travelling from Caithness to attend the wedding exhibition at the Newton Hotel in Nairn this Sunday (23rd) if anyone wants to come along and see some sample albums and chat over availability and options for your big day. I will have new albums on display this weekend courtesy of my sponsors One Vision Imaging!! Open from 12.30 until 3.30pm

Wedding Workout Course Spain 2009

2008-11-04T14:14:00.004Z

We are now taking bookings for the wedding workout course in Antequera, Spain next June.
The course is aimed at all levels of wedding photographers and is run by Martin Grahame Dunn. Lecturers are Martin, Juli Ann Cialone from the USA and myself. The course runs from Monday 1st till Friday 5th of June 2009.

Topics covered will include the following:

The essentials of lighting, posing and composition for 'Elegant' Wedding photography
Think before you shoot - The Art of Visual Choreography
Developing a style
Bridal Bedroom Glamour
Recording the Details - work like an Art Director
Making best use of your locations
Elegant Groups with speed & efficiency
Low light moments and dealing with ‘Noise’
Off camera flash for drama and effect
To tilt or when to tilt, that is the question!
Post wedding opportunities or a ‘Trash the Dress’ session
Post capture and output - Photoshop, Nik Software and Epson print output
Managing your digital workflow
Exciting Album design

I am really looking forward to this course and producing some amazing images out there! From my side of things, amongst other things I'll be teaching how to use fashion style in wedding photography, different types of lighting for effects, trash the dress and shooting amazing images in ordinary locations.
If you fancy coming along or just want more details about it, email me or call free on 08000 699169

Course Link--->Here
Hotel Link---->Here

Susie and Paul - Carbisdale Castle

2008-10-28T21:00:00.004Z

Another wedding at the great Carbisdale Castle, near Ardgay in Sutherland. I really like weddings here because there's a lot of character in the place. Susanna Gunn and Paul Mackay chose this venue for their wedding. Susannah is originally from Brora and Paul from Durness, and they now live in Northern Ireland. It was a great day apart from a few occasional rainshowers and I really enjoyed this one! Lots of fun all day and just the kind of atmosphere you hope for at a wedding.

Nicola and Richard 17th October

2008-10-28T20:38:00.003Z

Mackays Hotel in Wick was the venue for this great wedding. Nicola Ward and Richard Byrne from Broadhaven Road in Wick were the happy couple and Richard was absolutely gobsmacked by the whole thing. In fact, he was absolutely....gobsmacked. (Sorry Richard :-) )

Thanks to George Sutherland for his help with the venue. Once I suggested the Pulteneytown Distillery, he was onto the case and got it set up. It was a great venue (George's idea really to be fair) and I wonder how long before certain other photographers are trying to get in there.

Amanda & Matt Post Wedding Shoot

2008-10-28T20:28:00.003Z

Before leaving Skye and it's unfriendly wildlife behind I had a post wedding shoot with Amanda and Matt. It was a great day again albeit a bit cold for going in the water!

Highland Coo Update

2008-10-28T20:25:00.002Z

Thanks To David Simm of the SWPP for this latest image of my friend...

Highland Coo

2008-10-23T15:40:00.003+01:00

(That's Highland Cow to non-Scottish folk)

On my way back to my hotel after Amanda and Matt's wedding and came round a corner to confront a giant black Highland Coo right in the middle of the road! Swerved to avoid it but lost my passenger side wing mirror and ended up off the road. Could have been much worse though. There were 3 or 4 of them wandering about and this one was just standing right there in the road on a bend. Very dangerous! My poor new car has now managed to clock up almost 13,000 miles in twelve weeks and has been attacked my this monster.

11th October Skye

2008-10-23T15:26:00.003+01:00

I travelled over to Skye for this wedding at the Duisdale House Hotel near Sleat. Beautiful venue and very nice people working there - definitely worth a vist - I'll be going back! Food was beautiful too!

Getting married were Amanda Kemp originally from Banff and Matt Hale-Smith. I was worried about the weather having done summer weddings in Skye! Apart from a few showers of rain it was a stunning day and allowed us to get almost all the photography done outdoors, which was a real bonus. The evening ended with a really great firework display. I had a fantastic day and it was a load of fun.

Taste Of Caithness & Sutherland Event

2008-10-23T15:05:00.004+01:00

Mackay's Hotel in Wick was the venue for the Taste Of Caithness & Sutherland Event recently. I had the job of photographing all the suppliers for the brochure and marketing materials which was great fun.

On the day the event went well - totally astonished by the cooking demo by Tom Kitchen though, who shocked most people present by making a meal from the insides (and ears) of a pigs head. I found it quite disgusting to be honest and have no idea why anyone would pay top money to eat leftovers which should be in the bin! I guess he is trying to use controversy and shock factor to attract people to his restaurant but I won't be going!!

Don't click these thumbnails if you are an animal lover!

NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER

2008-10-21T22:01:00.003+01:00

Apologies to anyone who has been trying to call my office phone recently - BT problem with the changeover at the business centre. I now have a new telephone number and the good news is you can call FREE now!

New number for all enquiries is 08000 69 91 69

Sorry for any inconvenience recently.

Kirsty and Chris

2008-10-05T17:07:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I had the wedding of Kirsty Bisset and Chris Forde, who stay in Dundee. Kirsty is from the Inverness area, and the wedding was at Killearnan Church, Muir of Ord, with the reception at the lovely Achnagairn House, Kirkhill, near Inverness. Kirsty got ready at her parents lovely house at North Kessock, where we got some pictures of the preparations before leaving (pretty late Kirsty tut tut) for church. It wasa horrendous morning but when we got out of church it was nice although a bit cold (so I'm told anyway) so we were fortunate enough to get outside for some pictures which I didn't expect earlier!! Achnagairn is a great venue and has no many opportunities for photography. Really enjoyed myself so thanks to Kirsty and Chris for being such good fun.

SWPP Competition

2008-10-02T22:02:00.002+01:00

Overall a poorer month this month, although some of the scores were a bit strange I feel.

I did get one gold, from Sunday's shoot in fact - Isla's second appearance here!! No spade this time though!

Isla and Arron (and family) shoot the dress

2008-09-29T11:37:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I had a really cool shoot with Isla (and some extras) at Fearn. Isla was great fun, although Arron was a bit of a girl and didn't want to get dirty haha!!! Anyway we shot at the old airfield where we were on the wedding day and then went to Nigg where we shot some stuff on the shore.

Post Wedding Shoot 21st September

2008-09-29T11:14:00.005+01:00

I had a cool shoot the dress session with Alison last Sunday at Westerdale. Word of warning though - wedding dresses fill up with water and get very heavy when brides go in deep water despite being told not to :-)

Photographing a Photographer

2008-09-27T16:48:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph the wedding of Scott and Joy. Scott (Hogg) is a wedding photographer himself so although it sort of added a little bit more pressure, it was very flattering to be asked. I just treated it as much as possible like any other wedding and tried to forget that he might be wondering what the hell I was doing!!! It was a funny experience I guess, setting pictures up and trying not to think "I bet he's thinking he'd have done it differently" but I bet it was even more strange for Scott to be the other side of the camera though!!

Anyway, it was a very relaxed and nice wedding in the sunshine at Innes House near Elgin. I was absolutely knackered by 7pm!! Hopefully they had some fun and we got some cool images. Thanks to Joy and Scott for asking me to do this one, I hope I did you proud!! A few quick edits I did this morning:

Lynne & Angus

2008-09-27T14:32:00.004+01:00

19th September, back on the road again! Lynne McFee and Angus Mackay were getting married at Evanton Church, with reception at the lovely Storehouse at Foulis Ferry. It was a beautiful day, after a day of heavy rain the day before. Lynne got ready at home in Inverness so I started there, before heading further North to the church. The setting for the reception was beautiful, right on the edge of the Cromarty Firth. Stayed on for the reception as well so another late night arriving home about midnight, but a great day!

Amy and Tom

2008-09-27T14:16:00.002+01:00

Another marathon journey, this time down to Morton Castle near Dumfries. Canadian couple Amy Dumont and Tom McMaster were over in Scotland for their wedding and Amy had chosen this lovely ruined castle as her venue. It was abit dull and wet on Tuesday but we got what we could before returning on Wednesday for a post wedding shoot in much better conditions!

Thanks to Dawn the wedding planner from High Heels and Cocktails for her help.